Artist humidifier for palette displayed paints and values

ABSTRACT

A dual purpose humidifier for palettes containing air drying paints and values for use by artists during painting and storage of the palette. The humidifier comprising a plastic container creates a moist and lowered temperature atmosphere adjacent and within its storage compartment for preventing the paints and values from untimely drying and hardening during and between use.

United States Patent [191 Rubel [n1 3,885,843 May 27, 1975 122] Filed:

1 1 ARTIST HUMIDIFIER FOR PALETTE DISPLAYED PAINTS AND VALUES [76] Inventor: George K. E. Rube], 4116 E.

Stanford Dr., Phoenix, Ariz. 85018 Mar. 29, 1974 [21] App1.No.: 456,189

[58] Field of Search 261/99; 206/45.11, 45.14, 206/223, 81, 1.7, 1.8, 1.9; 312/31, 31.1, 31.01, 31.05, 31.06; 220/234 3,280,966 10/1966 Boniface 206/1.7 3,732,972 5/1973 Israel 206/1.7 3,790,429 2/1974 Berger 312/31.1

Primary Examiner-William 1. Price Assistant Examiner-Bruce H. Bernstein Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Warren F. B. Lindsley [57] ABSTRACT A dual purpose humidifier for palettes containing air drying paints and values for use by artists during painting and storage of the palette. The humidifier comprising a plastic container creates a moist and lowered temperature atmosphere adjacent and within its storage compartment for preventing the paints and values 1 References Cited from untimely drying and hardening during and be- UNITED STATES PATENTS twee" 2,923,081 2/1960 Simmons 312/31 10 Claims, 6 Drawing Figure I I1; 20 44 k IIIII II I I I I I l I I I l I I I I T rsl-g ARTIST I-IUMIDIFIER FOR PALETTE DISPLAYED PAINTS AND VALUES BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Painting in recent years has become increasingly popular as an avocation or hobby, with many with and without artistic talent engaging in this creative activity as a release from the cares and burdens of their vocations. However, this invention is equally important to the professional artist whose paint dries on the palette before he can put it on his canvas. With free time limited and occuring in brief periods of an hour or two one or more times a week, the spare time artist finds himself spending a major part of his time preparing and getting set up to paint and in cleaning up and putting things away again. In addition, such brief separated periods of painting tend to be wasteful of expensive materials. Having mixed a number of colors on his palette, the artist usually runs out of time before he runs out of paint. Further with the use of the fast drying modern acrylic paints, the premature drying of the paints greatly increases the artists cost and now renders the inexpensive hobby expensive. The next time he wishes to paint he is confronted with the task of mixing a new set of colors or values which must be carefully matched with those he used before. Because colors and values tend to change in tone as they dry, the waste of the expensive materials is often compounded by the necessity of having to repeat mixing unsuccessful mixing attempts.

One recent innovation, the throw-away palette, has simplified the task of cleaning up at the end of a painting session, but it has not addressed the problems of preparation, of mixing and remixing colors and values or the problem of the wasted materials through prematuring drying of the paints. The throw-away palette is simply a tablet of treated paper that will not absorb the liquids of the painting materials. Colors are mixed on the top sheet of the tablet as they would be mixed on any conventional palette. At the end of the painting session the top sheet is removed and discarded along with the unused paints.

What is needed is an innovation that will permit the artist to reduce significantly the costs of paints particularly the acrylic types and the time required to get set up and ready to paint. This innovation should provide a moist atmosphere around the paints being used and around the stored unused colors and values from one session until the next, thereby conserving both time and materials and allowing a maximum percentage of available time for actual creative activity.

It is, therefore, an object of this invention to provide a dual purpose humidifier for creating a moist atmosphere around displayed paints and values as well as a storage device for palettes containing air drying paints and values with a moist atmosphere for preserving colors and values on the palettes from one painting session to the next.

Another object of this invention is to provide a humidifier which serves as a display device and paint organizer for palettes containing paints and values which significantly reduces the time required for setting up and painting.

A further object of this invention is to provide such a storage device having a controlled moisture atmosphere and reduced temperature within it for palettes that effectively prevents drying and hardening of the prepared colors and values on the palette. When the water in the wick of the claimed device is exposed to the ambient air, it evaporates into the air causing the air to become water saturated and this action also reduces the temperature of the air in contact with the paints. Since the paints have a water emulsion medium, the saturated air does not pull the water from the paint.

A still further object of this invention is to provide such a palette display and humidifying storage device which has an evenly controlled atmosphere throughout its storage compartment.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent as the following description proceeds and the features of novelty which characterize this invention will be pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this specification.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This invention discloses a new and improved storage, display and paint organizer for palettes containing air drying paints and values having a controlled moist atmosphere adjacent to it when the paints and values are displayed for the artist's use and holds the palettes in place in a moist atmosphere to prevent drying of the colors during storage.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The present invention may be more readily described by reference to the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. I is a perspective view of a humidifier for palettes showing the humidifier with its cover lifted off to reveal details of its construction.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the humidifier shown in FIG. 1 taken along the line 22.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a modification of the humidifier shown in FIG. 1 with the cover removed.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 3 taken along the line 44.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 4 taken along the line 5-5.

FIG. 6 is a top view of FIG. 3 with the cover of the humidifier on and partly broken away to show details of construction.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring more particularly to the drawing by characters of reference, FIG. 1 discloses a humidifying and storage device 10 for palettes containing air drying paints and values comprising a container 11 and a cover 12 therefor with the cover shown in an elevated position above the container. Both container 11 and cover 12 are preferably formed of a semi-flexible plastic material. It should be recognized that other suitable material may be used.

The container II is in the form of a shallow, open box formed by a pair of identical side members 13, 13' which are provided with grooves 14, 14' along their bases for receiving in sliding arrangement a palette 15 of the type shown in FIG. 3.

A back member 16 of the type shown in FIG. 2 is formed of the same general shape as the side members l3, 13 but of a longer length. Suitable screws 17 are used at the comers of the humidifying and storage device to hold the side members and back member in a square or rectangular configuration depending on the size of the back member.

Each of the side and back members is provided with a flange 18 extending outwardly from the inner surface thereof for receiving an outwardly extending flange 19 of a sump 20. Sump 20 is intended to provide a storage compartment for a limited suppply of water 21 used for keeping a wick 22 having one end thereof extending into the water in the sump wet. As shown, wick 22 ex tends from the sump substantially across the rest of the length and width of container 11.

In order to support the wick in an extended position, a wire mesh 23 having suitable openings may be arranged between sump 20 and a U-shaped bracket 24 formed on a front panel member 25. Member 25 is arranged to extend between and interconnects the side members 13, 13 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

Since the wire mesh is formed of a firm but pliable non-rusting metal it will be readily formed to extend over and into sump 20 and the U-shaped bracket 24 to support the wick 22 in an extended position over the hollow storage compartment 26 inside of device 10.

Since wick 22 is made of an absorbant material such as cotton of suitable thickness, i.e. A of an inch, the wire mesh is needed to support the wick. It should be recognized that the wire mesh and wick may be a single device with the wick material woven around the wire mesh or other suitable supporting wires or strips, if so desired.

As shown in FIG. 2, the cover may be attached to container 11 to keep the moisture of the wick inside of the device.

If a palette and its paints and values are positioned, as shown in FIG 3, partly within the storage compartment 26 of the device the paints and values near the opening leading into the storage compartment will be in a range of the high moisture content and reduced temperature of the air generated within the device by the moist wick 22. This moisture and reduced temperature will keep the paints and values from prematurely drying. When the palettes are pushed all of the way into the storage compartment of device 10 the paints and values will be kept moist and cool by the wick for an extended period of time depending on the amount of water in the sump.

FIGSv 3-6 of the drawings illustrate a modification of the device shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 wherein a humidifier 30 is shown having front, back and side members 31, 32, 33 and 34, respectively suitably fastened together to form a rectangular or square configuration depending on the sides of these parts. A plurality of supporting members 35 are positioned in a parallel arrangement to extend between the front and back members 31 and 32. As shown in FIG. 4 these members are positioned to form by their upper edges 36 a crown shaped configuration over which a wick 37 is positioned.

In the manner shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 the back and side members are grooved at 38 to form a means for supporting palette I5 when it is inserted in the humidifier 30 as shown in FIGS. 3, 4 and 5.

In this modification a pair of sumps 39 are arranged to fasten to the end members 33 and 34. If desired, these sumps may be provided with grooves 40 for receiving matching protrusions 41 formed on the surfaces of ends 33 and 34 so that the sumps may be easily at tached to and removed from the compartment formed by the assembled configuration of the front, back and side members of humidifier 30.

This humidifier functions to provide the same moist and cool atmosphere adjacent the paints and values on the palettes as described above in addition to the fact that the parallel arrangement of the support members not only hold wick 37 in its extended position across the crown configuration but also form a series of compartments 44 so that paints and values of different colors can be positioned or organized in any sequence desired by the user. These fins or supporting members 35 also help to keep the moist and cool air in position over the paint, and are shown for purposes of illustration also in FIG. 1.

As noted from FIG. 4, wick 37 extends between sumps 39 so that a dual source of water is provided one for each end of wick 37 providing an adequate moisture source for the humidifier.

A cover is shown diagramatically in FIG. -3 to illustrate that the humidifier is covered to preserve its moisture when in use.

Although but two embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated and described, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention or from the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

l. A humidifier for palettes containing air drying paints and values during their use and storage comprising:

a shallow rectangular box comprising a front, back and a pair of end members forming a container for receiving one or more palettes laterally between its side members,

a cover for engaging the edges of said front, back and end members of said container,

said container having an opening within said front member for slidably receiving said palettes and for supporting said palettes when partially and fully positioned within said container,

means for supporting a wick in an inclined position juxtapositioned to and across the paint and value receiving surface of a palette, and

at least one sump mounted on said container for receiving water and one end of said wick,

whereby said wick absorbs water in a capillary manner and generates a moist atmosphere above the surface of a paint supporting palette when fully within said container and when said palette is pulled partially out of said container.

2. The humidifier for palettes set forth in claim 1 wherein:

said means for supporting said wick comprises a wire mesh fastened to one of said members forming said container and supported by said sump.

3. The humidifier set forth in claim I wherein:

said means for supporting said wick comprises a plurality of supports arranged in a parallel configuration to extend between two of said members and forming an elevated surface extending upwardly from said sump to provide an inclined surface to support capillary action of the water in the wick.

4. The humidifier set forth in claim 1 wherein:

said at least one sump comprises a pair of sumps mounted one adjacent each of the ends of said container,

said means for supporting said wick comprising a plurality of supports arranged in a parallel configuration to extend between said two end members and defining a crown outline therebetween,

said crown outline defining an incline between each of said sumps for supporting capillary action on both sides of the crown of the water in the wick.

5. The humidifier set forth in claim 4 wherein:

said wick comprises a relatively thin strip of material extending across said crown with each of its ends in a different one of said sumps.

6. The humidifier set forth in claim 1 wherein:

said wick is formed of a material providing capillary tainer. 

1. A humidifier for palettes containing air drying paints and values during their use and storage comprising: a shallow rectangular box comprising a front, back and a pair of end members forming a container for receiving one or more palettes laterally between its side members, a cover for engaging the edges of said front, back and end members of said container, said container having an opening within said front member for slidably receiving said palettes and for supporting said palettes when partially and fully positioned within said container, means for supporting a wick in an inclined position juxtapositioned to and across the paint and value receiving surface of a palette, and at least one sump mounted on said container for receiving water and one end of said wick, whereby said wick absorbs water in a capillary manner and generates a moist atmosphere above the surface of a paint supporting palette when fully within said container and when said palette is pulled partially out of said container.
 2. The humidifier for palettes set forth in claim 1 wherein: said means for supporting said wick comprises a wire mesh fastened to one of said members forming said container and supported by said sump.
 3. The humidifier set forth in claim 1 wherein: said means for supporting said wick comprises a plurality of supports arranged in a parallel configuration to extend between two of said members and forming an elevated surface extending upwardly from said sump to provide an inclined surface to support capillary action of the water in the wick.
 4. The humidifier set forth in claim 1 wherein: said at least one sump comprises a pair of sumps mounted one adjacent each of the ends of said container, said means for supporting said wick comprising a plurality of supports arranged in a parallel configuration to extend between said two end members and defining a crown outline therebetween, said crown outline defining an incline between each of said sumps for supporting capillary action on both sides of the crown of the water in the wick.
 5. The humidifier set forth in claim 4 wherein: said wick comprises a relatively thin strip of material extending across said crown with each of its ends in a different one of said sumps.
 6. The humidifier set forth in claim 1 wherein: said wick is formed of a material providing capillary action.
 7. The humidifier set forth in claim 4 wherein: said sumps are detachably connected to said end members.
 8. The humidifier set forth in claim 4 wherein: said sumps are slidably fitted onto said end members.
 9. The humidifier set forth in claim 1 wherein: said box is formed of plastic.
 10. The humidifier set forth in claim 1 wherein: said cover is provided with a lip around at least a part thereof for attaching to said members of said container. 